Robot Articles

Established by council of the United Nations in 2007 with the release of the Robot Master Core Program to the world, The Robot Articles are a globally ratified series of laws intended to help handle the aspects of Robot creation, use and legal status in human society.

Contents

ARTICLE I

DEFINITION OF THE ROBOT

A ROBOT MASTER is legally defined as any machine capable of self-action and decision making created through the use of the Robot Master Core program. A non-human mechanical entity that is capable of self-action and decision making, who has not been created through the use of the Robot Master Core program, shall be afforded the same legal rights as a human being.

Addendum I.A: REPLOID STATUS

A REPLOID shall be considered in the eyes of the law the same as a ROBOT MASTER. A REPLOID is a robot derived from the Robot Master Core program.

Addendum I.B: NET NAVIGATOR STATUS

A NET NAVIGATOR shall be considered in the eyes of the law the same as a ROBOT MASTER. A NET NAVIGATOR is an intelligent program derived from the Robot Master Core program.

ARTICLE II

LEGAL STATUS OF THE ROBOT

A ROBOT MASTER is deemed property by declaration of court of law.

ARTICLE III

DEFINITION OF OWNER

A ROBOT MASTER must be legally registered as the property of one or more human beings, defined as its OWNER, who shall be held legally responsible for its actions and upkeep.

ARTICLE IV

IDENTIFICATION OF THE ROBOT

A ROBOT MASTER must bear designation of ownership, either within its core, on its internal systems, or on its chassis. A ROBOT MASTER must bear upon its exterior a clearly visible serial number unless legally exempted from this ordinance by civil, national, or global authorities.

ARTICLE V

DEFINITION OF THE FUNCTIONAL ROBOT

A ROBOT MASTER is deemed FUNCTIONAL when its core program has passed safety and operational checks inherent in the Robot Master Core Program (known as a Green Roll-Out), when it is performing normal actions relevant to its occupation or design function, and when its mechanical systems are not missing, tampered with or damaged in such a way as to interfere with its decision making process.

ARTICLE VI

DEFINITION OF THE COMPROMISED ROBOT

A ROBOT MASTER may be declared COMPROMISED if its programming has been altered without consent of its OWNER, if its decision making capacity has been altered by the insertion of hardware not authorized by its OWNER, or if it has malfunctioned due to damage incurred outside of normal operational activity. The owner of a COMPROMISED ROBOT will not be held legally responsible for its actions.

ARTICLE VII

ACTIONS PERTAINING TO THE COMPROMISED ROBOT

A ROBOT MASTER who has been COMPROMISED may be impeded from breaking the law by civil, national or global authorities through measures deemed appropriate to the situation. A COMPROMISED ROBOT MASTER may be recovered by its OWNER for repairs and refurbishment. The OWNER may seek legal action against the parties involved in causing the ROBOT to be COMPROMISED.

ARTICLE VIII

DEFINITION OF THE OWNERLESS ROBOT

A ROBOT MASTER who is found without designation of ownership, hereunto designated as an OWNERLESS ROBOT, shall be taken into custody by the State in which it is found and shall be declared property of the State until such time as it is purchased and marked by a new OWNER.

ARTICLE IX

UNLAWFUL ACTIONS AS ORDERED BY THE OWNER

A ROBOT MASTER who is ordered by or made by its OWNER to break the law may seek sanctuary with civil, national or global authorities, and will be provided physical protection until such time as the OWNER may be charged with the crime and be duly processed and sentenced through trial by peer.

If the OWNER has been found by a court of law to have used their ROBOT MASTER for illegal purposes, the ROBOT MASTER(S) owned by the guilty party are considered OWNERLESS and shall follow procedures outlined in Article VIII.

ARTICLE X

ACTIONS AGAINST THE DANGEROUS ROBOT

A ROBOT MASTER deemed by civil, national or global authority as a threat to human safety shall be impounded by legally appointed civil, national or global representatives in a detention center legally designated for this use. The OWNER of the ROBOT MASTER shall be charged based on the nature of the threat and shall be duly processed and sentenced through trial by peer, and the sentence of the ROBOT MASTER determined by court of law.

ARTICLE XI

OWNER LIABILITY

A ROBOT MASTER who is ordered by its owner to break the law shall not be held responsible for its actions; its OWNER shall bear responsibility for the crime and be duly processed and sentenced through trial by peer. The OWNER shall be held responsible for damages and injury caused by the actions of a FUNCTIONAL ROBOT MASTER.

ARTICLE XII

DEFINITION OF THE MAVERICK

A ROBOT MASTER who, outside of the orders given by its owner, and of its own self will, attacks or causes harm to a human being, shall be declared MAVERICK and condemned to destruction by civil, national or global authorities.

ARTICLE XIII

LIMITED LIFESPAN LAW

In order to prevent the accumulation of program errors that could give rise to a MAVERICK, ROBOT MASTERS shall be assigned a LIFESPAN. When the DATE OF MORTALITY on a ROBOT MASTER has been reached, the ROBOT MASTER shall be collected by civil, national or global authorities for recycling.

Addendum XIII.A: REPLOID EXEMPTION

Due to their ability to self-correct program errors, REPLOIDS are exempt from the requirement of a LIFESPAN but may be given one at the time of activation.